Public lands issues saw considerable press last week in the activity surrounding the FY 2008 Interior Appropriations Bill (HR 2643). The bill was considered on the House floor and passed the full House. Here's a quick breakdown of action on public lands issues in the House-passed version:
National Forests
The House Interior Appropriations bill is moving in the right direction by providing increased funding to important natural resource programs, such as Wildlife and Fish Management and Recreation, Wilderness, and Heritage. The bill also includes a new program for the Forest Service, receiving $65 million, to address roads that are negatively impacting watersheds. The challenge will be to ensure that the Senate version of the bill contains the same program and funding.
Tongass National Forest
In a major victory for all Americans, Representatives Andrews' (D-NJ) and Chabot's (R-OH) amendment to end taxpayer subsidies for new commercial logging roads on the Tongass National Forest passed with an outstanding 283-145 bipartisan vote. The amendment's victory also sends a strong message to the Senate as it enters the final stages of its Interior appropriations process: The federal government must stop wasting tens of millions of our tax dollars on road-building subsidies in Alaska that are damaging an international treasure that attracts hunters, fishermen, and tourists from around the world.
Roan Plateau
An amendment to the FY 2008 Appropriations Bill by Representatives John Salazar (D-CO) and Mark Udall (D-CO) to prohibit any federal funds from being used to issue oil and gas leases on crucial portions of the Roan Plateau for one year was withdrawn after the Congressional Budget Office informally estimated that the drilling ban would cost the Treasury $$50 million. In a separate action, Sen. Ken Salazar announced on Thursday that he would place a "hold" on President Bush's nomination of James Caswell as director of the BLM until Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne agrees to give Colorado Governor Bill Ritter the time he needs to review the Roan Plateau's resource management plan. "Although this 'hold' cannot directly stop the BLM from moving forward without public input, it does make the BLM aware that there are serious consequences for their blatant disregard of the opinions of the people of Colorado," said Salazar.
RS 2477
Representative Mark Udall introduced an amendment which sought to prevent the Interior from giving away hiking trails, dogsled routes, ORV routes and other primitive paths claimed as highways by states and counties under an antiquated mining law, R.S. 2477. Such claims would disqualify the public lands through which these trails run from Wilderness designation. Udall later withdrew the amendment in favor of a discussion with Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), who agreed to increase his oversight of the department's review of highway claims. "The claims being made on wilderness study areas and on public lands will be watched like a hawk by this Congress," said Kristen Brengel of the Wilderness Society.
Land and Water Conservation Fund/Forest Legacy Program
The Interior Appropriations bill, which passed the House last week, included proposed funds for a number of LWCF requests, including such special areas as California Desert Wilderness, Cascade Siskiyou National Monument, and Rogue Wild and Scenic River.
National Landscape Conservation System
The House bill also restores more than $10 million in needed funding for the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System to bring the System's funding modestly above the 2006 appropriation of $59 million. The President's request is the lowest request since the System's inception and would have led to irreparable damage of invaluable cultural and natural resources in BLM's most spectacular lands and waters, including their National Monuments and Wilderness Areas. The needed funds will ensure that BLM has more adequate staff to educate visitors, curb vandalism, restore wildlife habitat and otherwise protect and restore BLM's most outstanding landscapes. The House bill also directs the Department of Interior to provide greater budget clarity on the Conservation System in the future, ensuring increased transparency and accountability to Congress and the American public.
Wildlife Refuge Funding
The House Appropriations bill provides the National Wildlife Refuge System with a $56 million increase above the President's request of $396 million and a 14 % increase over the 2007 fiscal year enacted levels. The much needed increase will bring refuge funding for FY08 to $451 million, allowing the Refuge System to resume many of the operations and maintenance projects that were put on hold due to inadequate funding. Such lack of funds has resulted in the loss of approximately 300 staff positions so far.
Background
Each year, federal land management agencies receive funding from Congress through an Interior Appropriations bill. Our perennial challenge is to ensure that agencies receive adequate funding to manage the lands they administer, that funding is prioritized for resource protection, as opposed to harmful resource extraction, and that unrelated "riders" are not added to this legislation.
The Interior Appropriations bill provides funding for the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management.
In addition, appropriations bills face a constant threat of "riders" being added as amendments -- legislative language not related to the original intent of the bill. Riders, which generally would not survive as stand-alone legislation, often are added to "must-pass" bills.
